Your New Year with God

01/01/22-01/04/22

The Secret of Contentment

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  01/02/22

Whether we are rich or poor, it turns out that success, wealth, and possessions do nothing to quell the longing we all have for fulfillment. Without the contentment that comes from knowing Christ, people will always yearn for more—and try to find it in all the things the world promotes.

Today, the spirit of greed and envy dominates the television screen, whether it’s the news, primetime media, or the plethora of ads that aim to convince you that this new product will finally give you what you’re looking for. It’s easy to see how the spirit of discontentment is devouring the soul of our nation.

You and I are also just as susceptible to discontentment, forgetting the incredible, incomparable gain we have already received through Christ: the very presence of God. That is why Scripture tells us that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). When we remember the wonder of the Gospel—that we have been made children of God—we cannot help but be content as we walk with our Lord, and we’ll gain even more as we are renewed in character and build up treasure in heaven (see Galatians 5:22-25, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Matthew 6:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, et al.).

In his letter to the Christians in Philippi, Paul writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). He tells us the secret in the very next verse: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (v. 13). This verse has often been ripped from its context and used by some who want to boast in their own strength. But it’s actually telling us it is Christ’s strength that empowers us to be content, no matter what season we find ourselves in. Paul learned to lean on Jesus. The Lord gave him the strength to endure anything the world threw at him, but more than that, He gave Paul the strength to be content—no matter what.

Friend, if you want to be content in this coming year, focus on Jesus Christ. Become an ambassador for your Savior, for that’s what He has called you to be—and serving Him is great gain.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be Your ambassador. May I draw many to Your wondrous Kingdom by the contentment You bring to my spirit and life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).